Studied by 23 people
Cold War
Conflict between two belligerents in which neither engages in open warfare with the other. A battle of ideologies
Causes of the Cold War
Communism- US wanted democracy soviet kept expanding
World remade into communism or democratic capitalism
Stalin- Decided to keep troops central and eastern countries and create a kind of buffer zone between russia and germany even though they didn’t agree to
US saw this as a violation of their agreement to allow these countries self determination
Berlin- Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, divided Berlin which sits in the Soviet territory
Soviet wanted to keep germany weak and extract reparations but west wanted to help germany economically because they saw it as a key to a stable central europe
Truman Doctrine
advocated containment of communism to any country that was threatened by it, 400 mill dollars
Marshall Plan
Allocated lots of money to help countries rebuild, healthy economy meant nations lean towards democracy- worked
Taft-Hartley Act
response to massive wave of labor strikes, made it harder to strike, made them pledge that they weren’t communist
Federal Employee Loyalty and Security Program
executive order from truman, made provisions for federal investigations into the political affiliations of federal workers
McCarthyism
US scared of communism, mccarthy significantly exacerbated it
claimed to have the names of 205 known communists in the state department, made US scared that communists were everywhere
Rosenberg Case
1949 soviet union tested first atomic bomb, rosenberg couple accused of being involved and giving soviet stolen plans, executed them in the electric chair in 1953, at least one of them were a soviet spy, they were communists.
Interstate Highway System
Network of controlle-access highways that forms part of the National Highway Sytem in the US
Baby Boomers
People born after WWII in a time of relative peace and prosperity, leading to better education and job opportunities, encouraging fertility and marriage.
Suburbs
Where the middle class lived after WWII, conformity- same houses, same ways of dressing…
Red Scare
Nationwide fear of communism
Sunbelt
Spam of 15 states through the American southwest (from Cali to Carolinas) that experienced terrific population and productivity expansion during World War 2. People went for job opportunities, better climate, lower taxes.
Beat Generation
Group of writers and artists who rejected mainstream culture, emphasized individualism and non-conformity.
Korean War
Soviet Union-North Korea, U.S.-South Korea. 1950- North invaded the South, start of war. UN sent many troops, mainly from the U.S. that pushed North Korea almost to the South border of China. China wa slike no and sent troops to push them back to the line. Direct result of Truman’s containment policy.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat up to a white man, led to a year-long protest of the bus system, successful and desegregated buses.
Brown v. Board of Education
Ruled that segregation in schools was unconstitutional, overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.
Sputnik
First satellite launched into space by Russians, began U.S “Race for Space” with Russia.
Domino Theory
Once one region fell to communism the others would too.
Great Society
Set of programs led by LBJ (1964-1965), Aimed to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
Medicare, Medicaid, Abolished immigration quotas.
Hippies/counterculture
Drugs!! Rejected materialism, conformity, and consumerism of mainstream society. Freedom, peace, love, harmony.
Anti-war protests
Student-led protests against the Vietnam war and U.S. presence there.
Office of Economic Opportunity
Implemented self help programs to impoverished Americans. Only had limited success because cycles of poverty were harder to break and a lot of the money went to Vietnam.
Medicare
Federally funded health insurance for people over 65
Medicaid
Provided federally funded health insurance for those in poverty.
Warren Court
Handed down major decisions that expanded the application of liberalism from 1953-69
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)- ruled is a person is impoverished and cannot afford their own attorney in court, then the state must provide one for them
Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)- ruled that laws which forbade the use of birth control were unconstitutional
Engel v. Vitale (1962)- deemed school prayer unconstitutional as it violated the First Amendment’s provision for the separation of church and state.
Baker v. Carr (1962)- Decided state must redraw their legislative districts so that they more accurately uphold voting rights (states had less people, but had a bigger voice, didn’t match one person one vote)
Vietnam War
Soviet Union-North, US- South Vietnam. Kennedy sent military advisors to south vietnam for 'support’. After Kennedy’s assassinated, LBJ became president, was kinda bad.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
North Vietnam fired on US battleship in Gulf of Tonkin, Johnson used it as justification for U.S. military involvement.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Gave LBJ (president)b blank check to exercise whatever powers were necessary to protect american interests in the region. Led to debate of overreach of executive power.
Johnson Administration in the Vietnam War
Credibility Gap- Johnson administration campaigns of disinformation on the war, but the war was the first televised war and reporters sent back reels of what was actually happening so people didn’t LBJ.
Tet Offensive
Massive surprise offensive that inflicted heavy casualties on U.S. troops.
Vietcong
Heavier harm, U.S’s response to the Tet Offensive
Vietnamization
Nixon’s presidency, wanted less involvement, U.S. removal of troops while still providing financial aid and munitions to carry out the war themselves.
Stonewall Riots
Resistance to unjust laws, encouraged gay Americans to be opened about their identity.
Watergate
Nixon endorsed people breaking in and stealing documents at the watergate office complex (democratic party headquarters), Nixon denied and lied but then resigned. Effect of people losing faith in their government.
Stagflation
Inflation combined with economic stagnation
Jimmy Carter
Iran Hostage Crisis- Americans held hostage Carter bad no one like
Roe v. Wade
Legalized abortion
Oil Embargo
Arab nations opposed Israel but the US supported it. So they dramatically reduced exports in the US and raised the prices of oil for the US which caused a significant shortage of oil in the US.
Phyllis Schlafly
STOP (stop taking our privileges) ERA, reason Equal Rights Amendment didn’t happen
Affirmative Action
Race would be a factor in hiring decisions and college admissions, saving spots for minorities.
Bakke v. University of California
Only determined that race wouldn’t be the only factor in decisions but still would be one.
Religious Right
Opposed Roe v. Wade, Protestant and Catholic Christians united over a common cause.
Jerry Falwell- Moral Majority- melded Christianity and Conservative politics
Focus on family- goal to reintroduce prayer into schools, resisted gay rights
Barry Goldwater
The new Right
Radical conservatives who resisted liberalism
John Birch Society
Limited Government, opposed Communism, lots of funky conspiracies
Radical conservatives
Silent Spring- Rachel Carson
Book on the modern society poisoning the earth
Environmental Protection Agency
Nixon, protected the environment
Clean Air Act (1963)
Controlled air pollution at a national scale (Nixon)
Nuclear Energy
Three mile island- one of the nuclear reactors melted down and released tons of radioactive stuff in the environment
Put fear in americans minds on nuclear energy
American Indian Movement (1968)
Self determination, address systemic poverty, reclaim heritage
Occupation of Alcatraz island
Abandoned by fed government, any abandoned land would be return to natives, so natives occupied and claimed for their own, federal government made it very hard for them to live there
Note 
Flashcard (100)